Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse
by DigiFox0
Summary: Yukiko Amagi is on the horns of a dillema. When her long time crush is in her room, sopping wet and emotionally vulnerable, what should she do? Should she help her silverette classmate? Or give in to her innermost desires? A Non-Canon Paralouge to "Lovers in Fragments". Somewhat OOC in later chapters due to its nature as a "What If" scenario.
1. Chapter 1 - Encounter

Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse

Chapter 1- Encounter

A/N: So yeah, I came up with this while writing LiF's Arguing Chapter. This is that "Paralouge" I so teased you with in chapter 24 of LiF :) Told you all I'd do it XD It isn't canon to Lovers in Fragments (That would screw the whole thing up) but I thought it'd be cool to do a "What If?" like this for it, so yeah, here you go :D YuxYukiko, so yeah, a slight deviation from my normal stuff but I do actually like this pairing so… :) A little heavier than what you're used to from me, I'm afraid (In my whole one fic XD) Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Yukiko Amagi, the young heiress to the famous Amagi Inn, was on the horns of a dilemma.

She had been developing an… affection for one of her classmates. More than friendship. She liked him, like _really_ liked him. A boy had never made her feel this way before. Whenever she saw him, her heart started beating much faster and her stomach tied itself in knots whenever he smiled at her. She was thinking about that boy now as she lay on her bed doing some English assignment (She had to daydream or she'd never get it done…). She was thinking of course, of Yu Narukami.

The mysterious transfer student who came to Inaba and made her life infinitely more exciting. He showed her the world beyond her TV screen and helped her face herself. He even saved her life… How could she not develop these feelings for him? She wanted to confess to him, to tell him that he was an amazing person and that she loved him. There were a few reasons she couldn't do that.

For one thing, she was awkward. Despite being perceived by her classmates as a cool beauty, her real self was a lot more anxious. She tripped over words and had a hard time expressing herself. Yu wouldn't want a girl that could barely talk without blushing. In this regard, she was nothing like Chie or Rise…

Speaking of Rise Kujikawa, she was the other reason that she didn't want to tell Yu how she felt. Yukiko had a strong suspicion that her silverette classmate was in a relationship with the young idol. Yukiko may be awkward, but she was also very perceptive. They were constantly around one another for one, eating lunch on the roof together in private. They were always flirting over social networks and stuff as well. On top of that, whenever Rise came up in conversation, Yu always came up with something to say. Unless it was about her love life, at which point he became standoffish or unresponsive. Finally, whenever they were around together, Yukiko always caught them stealing glances at each other or something. That worried her…

Yukiko sighed at her homework. She couldn't focus. She had Yu on the brain. Her head was swimming with thoughts of her leader. She simply put her work in her bag, flipped on the TV and changed into her pyjamas. It was late after all. She was just going to try and get some sleep. Perhaps she'd have that dream again, the one where Yu came over and swept her off to the city to live in some apartment where they'd live on the edge.

Just before Yukiko was about to flip off the light and settle into bed to watch TV before dropping off to sleep, her phone started buzzing. Someone was calling her? She'd only given her number to around 7 people. Her mother, Chie, Rise, Naoto, Kanji, Kanji's mother and…

To her surprise, the caller was the most recent and the one that was on her mind right now. Without even thinking, she answered the phone.

"Hello?" She asked, lying to the man on the other end. She knew damn well who it was.

"Hey, Yukiko, it's Yu" He said, he sounded flustered… Almost upset, actually…

"Oh, hey, Yu-kun…" Yukiko said. She was trying to sound cool and collected but inside she was burning. _He_ was calling _Her_. That was surprising.

"Do you have any rooms going right now?" Yu asked, breathing somewhat heavily.

"Umm… I don't know for sure. Why?" She said, confused. Why would he ask that, he has a house?

"Ah… shit, alright. It's just that I locked myself out of my house like an idiot…" He sighed, disappointed.

"I have a couch!" Yukiko almost shouted down the phone.

"What?" Yu laughed gently, that seemed to cheer him up a little.

"I mean… um. I ha-have a couch you can sleep on, if you want…" Yukiko stuttered on hearing his laugh. God his laugh… It was deep, masculine and resonated with her whenever she heard it.

"I think I'll take you up on that… Thanks Yukiko" Yu said, his voice picking up a little bit.

"It's OK…" she said, already feeling the blush on her face.

"I'll be there in a few" Yu said.

"Alright, see you" Yukiko mumbled, already hanging up the phone. She was excited. A lot.

xxx

Within about five minutes, Yu had arrived at the Amagi Inn. He was standing at the back door, waiting for Yukiko to come and welcome him in.

He was an idiot. Why?

Why?

Why did he let this happen?

He'd ruined it. He'd ruined the best thing in his life at the moment because he was stupid.

Yu and Rise had a fight. It was a big one too. Not a stupid little fight over who would make breakfast. A huge, almost relationship ending, fight. It was all over in a blur. He'd said some stupid, stupid, _stupid_ things… And now he hated himself. Why?

That was the only word that Yu could focus on.

It was at that moment that Yukiko opened the door and he was… surprised…

She was standing there in her pyjamas and fluffy slippers, her hair was tousled like she'd been standing in a windstorm and her eyes were tired from the day's events. However, they brightened when she saw Yu. He almost thought he looked cute. Almost. Romance was the last thing on his mind right now…

"Hey, Yu-kun" Yukiko said, beaming. He felt like anything but smiling but he faked one out of courtesy.

"Hey" he replied.

"Um… Where's your jacket?" Yukiko asked. It was a pertinent question to ask him, he was usually never without it. Especially since it was the depths of winter now.

"Oh… um…" Yu mumbled, rubbing the back of his head. He couldn't think of anything. 'Come on, you idiot.' He thought to himself. 'You were working at a mile a minute when you were yelling at your girlfriend why can't you lie about your jacket?'

"You had it this morning, right?" Yukiko asked him again.

'She's just full of questions today, isn't she?' Yu thought again. He then realized that he still wasn't saying anything.

"Is everything OK, Yu-kun?" Yukiko asked a third time. Apparently, she noticed his calm façade break down.

"Not… really…" Yu said in barely a whisper.

"Come inside, we can talk about it there" Yukiko smiled.

"Alright…" Yu said, staring at the floor as he slipped off his shoes and followed Yukiko up to her room. Both of them sat down at her table, which was very similar to his, across from one another.

xxx

More than anything, she was worried. She was initially excited about Yu coming over. She was hoping she could make him happy… maybe even sneak a quick peek at him while he slept or something (Which she immediately dismissed as "creepy" and "stalkerish"). However, now, she wanted to help him. To genuinely cheer him up. Maybe then he'd notice her… like that…

"So what's happened, Yu-kun?" she said, her voice dripping with concern and her arm snaking across the table to take his hand in hers… strictly platonically, of course. Right?

"I… don't know if we should talk about this…" Yu said, still not able to meet her gaze.

"Yu-kun, please… I don't want to see you like this"

"I…" You stuttered, about to begin one, final pointless protest but thought better of it. He backed down from his pride and simply decided it better to confide in Yukiko.

"First thing you need to know is that me and Rise are dating… We have been for a while" Yu confessed to the young heiress.

"Yeah… I kind of guessed" she chuckled. Outwardly, anyway. Inside, it felt like a knife had just stabbed her in the heart. Her worst fears were realised… He would never love her. Not in the way she loved him…

"But…" Yu sighed.

But? There was a But?

Yukiko's spirits soared. Why? Did this make her a horrible person? She was happy at the prospect of her friend's relationship having trouble. Why? So _she_ could be happy? Yukiko wasn't that kind of girl… was she?

"We had a fight" Yu continued. "A _big_ fight."

He told Yukiko the entire story. The things he said, the things she said, the things they both did, the state he left her in…

"I left my jacket at Rise's. My keys and stuff too… I feel awful" Yu said, his voice cracking as he told Yukiko of his internal struggle…

"Yu-kun…" Yukiko said, squeezing his hand. What should she do here? She _should_ console him, make him feel at least a little better and help him out in his time of need. His wellbeing was more important than her stupid little crush right now.

But Yukiko was a teenage girl, at the end of the day. Her hormones were flowing through her body. There was a boy, in her room. His clothes were wet, she was in her pyjamas. She _could_ let biology take over and give in to her baser desires but she wasn't like that, at least she didn't think so, but the fact that she was even thinking about doing this showed that maybe she was…

She didn't know what to do… Did that make her selfish? Did it make her a bad person? Worse, a bad friend?

"Yu-kun" Yukiko finally decided. "You…" she couldn't believe what she was about to do. She stood up, moved to sit next to Yu and placed her hand on his thigh. "It's OK.." she said, huskily as she wrapped her other arm around Yu's shoulder into a hug.

Apparently, Yu needed that. He accepted the hug fully and wrapped her into it as well. He needed someone to just reassure him.

The hug ended, despite Yukiko trying to keep it going for longer. The two of them just sat there, staring at each other for a few moments.

Then, their lips crashed together.

Neither of them knew how it happened. Well, Yu did, to an extent. He was vulnerable. He needed someone, anyone, to show him that he wasn't a bad person. Yukiko just happened to be around. He would have done the same with Yosuke, albeit with less kissing involved.

Sleep did not come easily to the scandalous lovers…

xxx

Idiot.

Idiot, Idiot, Idiot. What are you doing? Why did you do that? You absolute moron.

He got dressed, Yukiko having done the same a while ago. The two of them felt incredibly awkward afterward. This was not how Yukiko imagined her first time. She wanted it to be wonderful with a man she loved who loved her in return. Yu didn't love her, at least not emotionally and not in a romantic way. What they did last night was an act of lust and emotional desperation, not love or compassion.

"We can't tell anyone about this…" Yu said, avoiding Yukiko's gaze.

"Yeah…" Yukiko agreed, in spite of her feelings for Yu. She definitely didn't want to remember what they did… "It was a mistake" She added…

"Yeah" Yu agreed. "I was vulnerable"

"I was really hormonal" Yukiko hastened to make her voice heard.

"Yeah" Yu said once more. "I'll, um… see you at school…"

"Good luck with Rise-chan, Yu-kun"

"Um… yeah… I forgot about that…" Yu said, his feeling of despair now overwhelmed with guilt and self loathing.

What happened last night was a mistake.

But teenage years are filled with stuff like this.

Right?


	2. Chapter 2 - Noises

Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse

Chapter 2- Noises

A/N: And so the drama continues! Some asked me to continue this and I thought I probably could :) This won't be as long as chapter one since I intended this to be a one-shot. Apologies for the angst :) (Hope it still works XD) Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

You are a dumbass.

What the hell did you do that for?

She's going to kill you if she finds out.

How desperate are you?

Why did you even go up to her room?

Thoughts like these and more were all Yu Narukami could think about after his sordid interaction with Yukiko Amagi the previous day. It had been eating away at him ever since they did… what they did… Hell, the moment it was over, he regretted it. Time had simply made it worse. As he thought about it, he noticed more things he did wrong and more times he could have stopped it.

He could have called literally anyone else. Yukiko was further away than say, Naoto. Hell, he could have even gone to Kanji. Yet the first person he called was Yukiko. Why? Did he _want_ to see her? She'd tell him everything he wanted to hear so perhaps on a subconscious level he did…

He could have not gone upstairs, gone straight to sleep on her couch. Yet, off he went. He could have just not told her about what happened, but yet he did. He was enjoying it too. That made him feel sick to his stomach.

He enjoyed it when she rested her hand on his thigh. Why? Rise was the one he loved, so why did Yukiko doing that even matter to him? It shouldn't have. But it did. It excited him.

At _any_ point during the kiss or during their act he could have told her to stop. But he didn't. He let her do everything with him. And he enjoyed it.

He replayed the events of that night over and over in his mind as he sat in class, staring at the back of her head. He knew she was thinking about it too. She avoided his gaze, she didn't look back to talk to Chie in case she roped Yu into the conversation.

Neither of them had enjoyed it. At least that's what they told themselves.

Yu resolved to talk to Yukiko. Perhaps if he could just get _some_ closure, he could work it out. If he could face her, tell her last night meant nothing and walk away, maybe Rise would take him back.

That's how he rationalized it to himself, at any rate. In reality, unknown to even himself, he just wanted to see her again.

xxx

The roof of Yasogami High was bitingly cold in this weather. Winter had just set in, and being this high, the crispness of the season could really be felt. The cold was the last thing on Yukiko's mind, however, as she waited for Yu. Why did he call her? Why meet in the first place? The last thing she wanted to think about was her… lover? No. That was _definitely_ the wrong word. They definitely were not lovers… It was at that moment Yukiko noticed Yu approach her. She had been so wrapped up in semantics she didn't even notice the suave young man as he came up to the Team's meeting spot.

Regardless, unbeknownst to Yukiko, her heart rate quickened. Her pupils dilated.

"Hey" He said, trying his best to look her in the eye. "I think we need to talk" he passed her and took a seat on the heating vent. She followed, her eyes pinned to the floor.

It was Yu who opened the dialogue. "So… about our…" he was searching his vocabulary for a word. Any word to use that wasn't too ugly. "Clandestine Encounter?" It was a question, with an inflection. He wasn't even sure what they should call it? "Lovemaking"? "Moment of Weakness"? "Mistake"? It seemed to fit though. Anything to get this conversation over with.

"I thought we weren't going to talk about it?" Yukiko said, an edge of irritation to her voice.

"We're fighting side by side in the TV. If the others pick up on it…" Yu began before being cut off

"In battle you won't even notice. You don't ever notice…"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yu asked, an eyebrow raised. This was the first time his leadership had ever been called into question.

"You never take notice of anyone when you get into the zone… Well, except for _her_" Yukiko said, practically spitting out the last word. Why? She didn't hate Rise, far from it. So why the venom?

"Rise, you mean?" Yu asked.

"Yes" A flat reply.

"Because she tells us where to go, which attacks work best and…" Yu tried to say before again, being interrupted.

"And that she loves you?" Yukiko ranted, raising her voice with each word. "That she'd never let anything happen to _you_? That she'd keep _you_ safe? That she'd never hurtyou? Well look what happened! She did. She hurt you and then you finally notice me! The girl who would _never_ take notice in the guy that swoops in from parts unknown, saves her life and then became your friend." Tears were welling up in Yukiko's eyes now, her quiet rant becoming a maelstrom of noise. "How could she possibly feel about you? How could she fall for you? It's not like you're perfect or are everything she's ever wanted. It's not like you flirted with her or made her feel special in any way. As soon as Risette comes onto the stage, you forget about Yukiko, about the girl you left behind, but as soon as she hurts you, you come back! It's not fair, Yu-kun, it's Just! Not! Fair!" Yukiko had become a sobbing mess, shouting the last three words in a hoarse tone before throwing her head into her hands.

There was some truth to Yukiko's words. Yu hadn't even considered her feelings in all this. It was true, that before he met Rise, he had his eye on Yukiko. She was pretty, after all. Intelligent, kind… Someone Yu could see being his girlfriend. Love is unexplainable though. Yu knew the second he laid eyes on Rise in the flesh that she was different. He didn't think about the young heiress at all… He should have told her about Rise, but he still led her on. Not intentionally, but he still did.

"Yukiko, I…" Another interruption

"You're what? Sorry?" Yukiko said, her eyes burning with rage now. "You're _sorry_ you led me on like some lovestruck bimbo who wouldn't care what you did? You're _sorry_ that you tore me apart inside having to see you with her every day?! You're _sorry_ that the one moment of intimacy we shared, you're writing off as a mistake?!" Tears streamed down the black haired beauty's face as she screamed noise and spat hate at Yu, a man she thought she loved.

"Yukiko, I had no idea you felt this way" Yu said, placing an hand on her shoulder, which she quickly shrugged off.

"No, you didn't, because you were too busy with _her_. You don't even _look_ at me anymore, it's all about her."

"You're jealous of her?"

"No!" Yukiko screeched. The noise echoed loudly around them. "Why would I be jealous of her?! I love my life! I love having to watch her cling to you every chance she gets, I love having to listen to her talk about how great you are and I simply _adore_ that she gets to be with the man I love while I have to watch and smile!"

"Y-You love me?" Yu asked. He had never considered Yukiko ever harbouring that strong a feeling for him.

"How could I not?!" she screamed, one final time before collapsing from the vent and fell to the floor, clutching her knees like a child. She sobbed gently into her legs as Yu got down onto her level and wrapped an arm around her, which she leaned into.

They simply sat there for a while, rocking back and forth to the sound of Yukiko's weeping. Yu clung to her tightly until, eventually, the tears subsided. Yukiko's face was stained red, her light makeup had run down her face and her headband had come slightly askew. Yu wiped her tears and fixed the red accessory on her head before smiling gently and placing both hands on Yukiko's shoulders.

"Yukiko… I had no idea you felt like that, and I'm sorry I made you feel that way. I wish you'd have spoken up sooner. I know that no words can fix what I did but... I'm truly, really, sorry"

Every word Yu said made Yukiko want to burst into tears again. However after the last one, after that last apology, she saw him differently again. She stopped seeing him as the boy that led her on or as the boy the abandoned her as soon as someone else came along. She saw him as the man that told her she was pretty, as the man that made her laugh… As the man she loved…

With lightning speed, Yukiko darted her lips onto Yu's to steal a kiss. She lingered there for a while.

Yu knew he had to break the kiss, that he had to stay faithful to Rise. But again, his biology took over. He leaned into it further, forcing Yukiko to the ground. Her tongue slipped its way into Yu's mouth, and his did the same. She moaned into it and started running her hands all over his back, his worked their way through her flowing, midnight hair… As she writhed underneath him, he felt himself getting excited. Now he was consciously aware of his desires.

Strangely, he didn't care.

He had already broken his oath to Rise once. Once more couldn't hurt, right?

Little did either of the two notice the small girl that had heard her friend scream come up the stairs and watch them, catching them accidentally in the middle of an intimate act.

Now, it was Chie Satonaka who was facing the problem. And this one could tear her friends apart. Worse still, she would have to deal with it alone.


	3. Chapter 3 - Floods

Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse

Chapter 3- Floods

A/N: So I've pretty much got the arc for this whole thing planned out in my head now. Should be good. Still not sure on the ending I have planned though. I get the feeling it could be really polarizing XD If anyone has any thoughts as to how it could end, drop me a line :) You will of course be credited :) Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Chie sat staring at her phone for the rest of lunch. She wasn't really doing anything, it was more a cover to keep people away while she tried to mentally process what she saw on the rooftop not ten minutes ago.

Yu Narukami, the suave, debonair leader was straddling her best friend on the roof.

What?

How the hell was she supposed to react to _that_?

Chie was sure that Yu and Yukiko weren't together or anything. Yukiko had never mentioned it for one thing. She was Chie's best friend, they told each other absolutely everything. Chie told her about her… accidental encounter with Yosuke last year, so why wouldn't she tell her if Yukiko was dating Yu?

Second, Yu hadn't ever seemed remotely interested in Yukiko. Not since Rise came on the scene at any rate. He was always staring at the Idol, after all. He always looked out for her especially. Why would he do that? He's a nice guy, sure, but he never did that for Chie or even Yukiko…

Either they had become the best secret-keepers in the shortest period of time, or something fishy was going on…

"Hey, Earth to Chie!" Yosuke said in a derivative tone. "You OK, Spaceface? You've been zoning in and out for like five minutes." Despite the insult, Chie knew he meant well… Still, could she tell him about this?

Not yet.

"Sorry, my brain's been going a mile a minute" Chie laughed. "And who're you calling Spaceface?"

"You" Yosuke said, sticking his tongue out at the girl. She thought that was cute, a little bit. She did like his somewhat childlike nature…

God, what was she _thinking_… This Yu and Yukiko thing must be messing her up.

"Seriously though" Yosuke's voice changed, he had dropped the act. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know if I can tell you…" Chie said, opening up slightly.

"Why?"

"It's… relationship stuff…"

Yosuke's eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Hey, Chie, I like you and stuff, but I don't really see you in tha-" Was all he could say before Chie cut him off.

"What?! That's not what I meant, you dork! Get over yourself, as if I'd go out with you!" She said, practically screaming. Every other head in the class turned to look at her outburst. Noticing this, she slinked back in her chair.

"She's in denial" was one of the thing she heard one of her classmates utter. Normally, she'd go and tell him off. Too much was bothering her, however.

"Look" Yosuke said, while moving to the front of Chie's desk so as to talk to her properly. "Maybe I can help. You like someone or something?"

"No…" Chie groaned into her arms, her face still red as a beet from her exclamation. She looked up at Yosuke, however. Maybe she could tell him at least some of the truth…

"OK, so…" Chie mentally prepared herself. "If you saw two of your friends, who were normally never like that, on the roof practically trying to climb inside one another's mouths, what would you do?"

"Who are we talking about here?" Yosuke asked.

"Does that matter?"

"Yes." He said, straight-faced.

"Why?"

"Because, it depends on the people, dummy" Yosuke said, bopping her on the head with a sheet of paper.

"Do that again, and I'm telling you nothing" Chie threatened.

"C'mon, just tell me what happened!" Yosuke was practically begging at this point.

Chie remained silent for a moment, contemplating the situation. Despite his many, many, many, _many_ faults, Yosuke was a good guy at heart. He always put others before himself… She had come to a decision.

"I was going to the roof to eat my lunch like ten minutes ago and I saw…" Chie paused slightly to mentally reassess the scene before continuing "Yu-kun on top of Yukiko, kissing her…" She said, in barely a whisper.

"What?!" Yosuke shouted, breaking the almost-silence.

"Keep your voice down!" Chie scolded him.

"Sorry…" he said, genuinely morose. "Wait, that explains that weird text then…"

"Weird text?" Chie asked, her interest piqued by this new evidence.

"Yeah, Yu sent me a text the other day…" Yosuke pulled out his phone and played with it for a second before finding the message.

"Hey. I can't wait to see you either x You want me to bring snacks and stuff? Also, wear your Kigu, it's growing on me a bit, I'll wear mine xx Tomorrow's still good, I'm not working then. xxx" It read.

"What…?" Chie said, trailing off.

"Yeah, he said after he sent it that it wasn't for me. I tried asking him about it, but he ignored me. Maybe it was for Yukiko?" Yosuke theorised.

"Yeah, but Yukiko doesn't have a kigu… She says they'd just make her laugh if she wore one. And check out the timestamp." Chie said, pointing at the small date and time printed below the message.

"12/17/11 21:11"

"What's so special about that?" Yosuke asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yukiko was working on the 18th, so she can't have gone on that date…"

"So… It was for a different girl?! Dude, how many chicks is he seeing?!" Yosuke almost fell out of his seat on the realisation.

"We need to talk to someone else… We don't know enough facts…" Chie said, staring at Yosuke's phone and still scanning the message.

"You're starting to sound like Naoto" Yosuke chuckled. "How about Rise? She knows about everyone's personal lives to make sure we're all OK to go in the TV"

"That's actually not a bad plan" Chie said, handing Yosuke his phone back and pulling out hers to call the young starlet. "Thanks, Yosuke" she smiled. He was a good friend… Not that bad to look at either…

She needed to solve this quick…

xxx

Rise was still a little shaken up. Her fight with Yu had knocked her about a fair bit. He said some really hurtful things. Hell, he made a teenage girl cry, that was enough to karmically unbalance him forever. She was definitely the wounded party in all this…

She felt terrible though.

She called the man she loved an asshole, to his face. She screamed at him to get out.

Despite all of that, she still loved him. She really loved him... Rise had never really had a crush before she met Yu. She never really felt attracted to anyone either way to be honest. The flirting was just second nature to her. Part of the job, comes with the territory and all that. Yu was special though… She _really_ liked him. He was the only person she ever could consider doing… anything with.

She _still_ loved him. She loved him more than anything else in the world, and if she let him go because of this, she may never find her perfect person. She had to make this right.

Before she could do that though, she had to help with something else. Chie said there was a problem that needed her immediate attention, and to meet her in the Calligraphy Club room. It would be empty, so Rise figured this would be really important.

When she got there, Chie was already sat down. Her phone was in her hand showing a photo of… something, she couldn't tell what.

"Hey, Rise-chan" Chie's voice sounded troubled.

"Hi, Chie-senpai" Rise said, weakly. "What's up?"

"I need your help with something" Rise had moved over to sit next to the green-clad girl.

"Sure, Senpai, what do you need?"

"Do you know if Yu-kun is dating anybody?" Chie asked, looking Rise dead in the eyes.

Rise gasped a little bit. How could Chie know that she and Yu were dating? They were super careful not to tell their friends yet, so how could Chie know?

"Not that I know of…" She lied. "Why do you ask?"

"Because, Yu accidentally sent Yosuke this weird text" Chie said as she showed Rise a photograph of Yosuke's phone. On the screen were the words Yu had sent to Rise just before their date on which they had the massive fight. He sent that out? Why was she asking about it, that was like two days ago, why wouldn't anyone asking about it literally the day it happened?

"I thought he sent it to his girlfriend, but if you say he doesn't have one…"

"What's all this about, Senpai?" Rise asked, an eyebrow raised. "Seems pretty random to ask me about this" She tried to giggle.

"It's just that… I saw something on the roof."

"You saw something?"

"You have to _promise_ me you won't tell anybody"

"I promise, Senpai"

What the hell was going on?

Why is she talking about something about this like they were connected.

What does she know?

These were all questions that were flying through Rise's mind like bullets.

"I saw… Yu-kun on the roof" Chie started before taking another breath. "He and Yukiko were kissing… pretty passionately too. I just never thought Yu-kun…"

Chie continued talking, but Rise had long since stopped listening as soon as the word "Kissing" made its way past her lips. He had cheated on her. Yu had broken Rise's trust. He told her he loved her and now this happens?

The news hit Rise like a freight train. Worse than that, a train would have killed her so she wouldn't torment herself over this. Emotions zipped around trying to gain dominance. Anger? You bet she was angry. The man she loved, the man who called her special, the man that kept her safe. _Her_ Senpai was making out with someone else? Confusion? Yes. Why would he do this? Was she not good enough for him? Did he need Yukiko for some reason? Did he not love her? What was going on?

She settled, however, on sadness.

Her eyes welled up with tears, and before long, the floodgates broke and she was sobbing uncontrollably. Her fists were balled up tightly, her eyes clamped shut with nothing but tears escaping them.

"Whoa, Hey, Rise-chan, what's wrong?!" Chie asked quickly, wrapping an arm around the Idol.

"I lied!" Rise screeched through her tears. Apparently, she hadn't completely discounted her rage.

"About what?" Chie asked, doing her best to wipe away tears on Rise's face.

"Yu! He _is_ dating someone! He's dating me!" The tears were getting worse, as was Rise's breathing.

"B-But! He was kissing Yukiko!" Chie said, confused and still trying to control the Idol's tears.

"That's why I'm crying!" Rise was really struggling to breathe now and rightfully so.

Her whole world was crashing down around her. Not only did the man she love most on earth betray her, so did one of her best friends. Yukiko had done _something_ and now had stolen her boyfriend. She couldn't comprehend it. Chie had to have been mistaken. She was never usually wrong though. How else do you interpret two people with tongues in one another's mouths?

Chie had to spend a good ten minutes calming Rise down before she could talk again. She was still crying, but talking. It was a start.

"You and Yu-kun are dating?" Chie asked, reaffirming the situation.

Rise simply nodded in response.

"So why is he kissing Yukiko?"

"It might be because we had a fight…" Rise said, he breath catching as she wept.

"You had a fight?"

Rise nodded and told Chie the whole story.

"I was really worried about him, because he left his keys and stuff at my place so he probably went to one of our places to sleep for the night… Oh god!" Realisation dawned on Rise's face. "What if he went to her place and they slept together?!" Her tears intensified yet again.

"Hey, we don't know if that's what happened, don't beat yourself up over it" Chie said, squeezing the redhead's shoulder.

"I don't want to lose him, Chie-senpai. He means everything to me. He's the only person I've ever liked this way and if I lose him, I might never be happy. I can't…" Rise wanted to finish, but only cried harder. She leaned into Chie's semi-hug and continued to sob.

"We'll find out what's going on, Rise, I promise. I'm gonna yell at him as soon as I see him, alright?" She felt Rise nod beneath her head.

"I need to talk to him" Rise managed to stutter out into Chie's neck.

"Yeah, you do… I'll find out what I can from Yukiko, alright?"

"OK… Thanks, Senpai…"

"Chie's fine, Rise, you don't have to be so formal…" Chie chuckled in an attempt to cheer Rise up a little. Surprisingly, it did. "Come on, you don't have to do it right now. You and me'll get some steak after school and you can do it then"

"I don't have any money" Rise giggled through her tears.

"It's alright, we have the Hanamura Bank to see us through"

The two girls shared a laugh as the elder one continued to cradle her younger friend for a few more moments. Chie didn't know what to do right now, really. She had to be there for her underclassman though. If helping her figure all this out would do that, then that's what she'd do. The bell signalling the start of afternoon classes rang, forcing the two to separate from their embrace.

"Thanks, Chie" Rise smiled, her face still stained with tears. "I need to go to the restroom to clean myself up before class. Promise me you won't say anything to Yu or Yukiko yet?"

"Promise" Chie nodded as she crossed her heart.

"Thanks" Another smile. It was obviously forced, but Chie didn't comment on it.

As Chie walked back into class, Yu, Yukiko and Yosuke were already seated. They all welcomed her, but she ignored the black haired heiress and the silverette leader and focused her attention on the Prince of Junes.

"I need you to buy me and a friend some steak after school." She said.

"Wh-why?!"

"I'll explain later, just please? She really needs it"

"You're going to need a damn good explanation, Chie"

"You'll get one" was all Chie said before turning her attention forward… Towards Yukiko Amagi. Rise had made it pretty clear that she and Yu were in more than just a causal relationship so Chie had no idea what she had said or done to Yu to convince him to kiss her like that.

But she had every intention of finding out…


	4. Chapter 4 - Conflicts

Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse

Chapter 4- Conflicts

A/N: This was a pretty fun way of doing things :D Hope you guys are enjoying this story :) Still really not sure how to end it D: Maybe it should just cut to black XD Nah, I wouldn't do that to 'ya ;) Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Chie knew what she had to do. She hated the fact that she had to do it, but that didn't deter her.

School had finished about an hour ago and Chie was standing at the Amagi Inn's back door, waiting for Yukiko to come and greet her. Ever since Rise confided in Chie about her and Yu's relationship she knew she had to help the young idol sort things out. Even if it was just by getting answers.

This meant she'd have to basically interrogate Yukiko. That would be hard. She loved Yukiko, they were best friends… Having to yell at her to get answers wasn't exactly Chie's idea of fun. However, if the year working to find the killer had done anything, it was hone her sense of justice to an unwavering degree. She had to do this for what was right.

"Hey, Chie" Yukiko said as she answered the door, her voice was strained.

"Hey. You OK?" Chie asked. Despite what Yukiko had done, she still cared about her.

"Yeah, I'm just tired. It's been nonstop ever since I got home"

"Oh… You're still OK to talk though, right? I really need your help with something"

"In a little while… Why don't you head upstairs and make yourself at home, I won't be more than an hour… maybe an hour and a half"

"Alright…" Chie said as she walked through the door and slipped off her shoes.

"I'll see you soon, OK" Her best friend said through a forced smile, one which Chie returned.

As Yukiko walked off, Chie cursed herself. The last thing she wanted was more time to consider what she would be doing…

xxx

Rise was having a similar dilemma. She was standing outside of Yu's home, fingering the doorbell, not quite sure whether to press it or not. She didn't want to have to argue with him. She hated it whenever he shouted at anyone, let alone her. His manly tone and stance always made him seem even scarier. She _could_ just walk away. She _could_ ignore this, make up with him and everything would be fine. But then they'd be building a relationship on lies. That had never worked out with anyone Rise had ever met or seen on TV or whatever.

She _won't_ ignore this.

Closing her eyes, as if looking at it would make it worse, she pressed the doorbell quickly while she was in the right state of mind. She instantly regretted it, but was also somewhat proud of herself for doing so. She heard footsteps coming to the door. Nanako and Dojima were still in the hospital so it had to be…

"Hey, Rise" Yu smiled, as if nothing was wrong. That only added fuel to Rise's fire.

"Hey" She said, curtly.

Despite their big fight, he was apparently trying to play it off as if nothing had happened, at least not initially. Denying the event occurred seemed to be a pretty good way to start talking about it. As Yu moved to kiss her, she simply turned away, his lips instead landing on her cheek. Despite her anger, it still felt amazing. It was taking everything in her power not to just forgive him after just one kiss on the cheek…

'God, I'm so pathetic' Rise thought.

"Can I come in?" she asked, still not looking him in the face.

"Sure" He said, smiling yet again.

'Bastard' Rise said internally. 'I still love you though…' Followed.

xxx

Yukiko had finished much earlier than expected. Apparently when her mother heard that Chie had a problem, she relived Yukiko straight away. The two girls now sat on Yukiko's bed, one clad in a kimono, the other in her trademark green tracksuit. To look at them, one could assume they barely knew each other. Yet they were best friends…

That was the thought zipping around Chie's head. She couldn't lay into her best friend, could she?

"So what's the matter, Chie? You sounded pretty serious in class…" Yukiko asked, her face a picture of concern. "You didn't talk to me or Yu-kun all day either, I'm really worried about you…"

Chie had to just get it over with. Once it started, she wouldn't be apprehensive anymore.

"I want you to be straight with me" Chie asked, closing her eyes as if she were reading some invisible script in her mind that demanded the upmost attention to even see. "Do you have a crush on Yu-kun?"

"W-what?!" Yukiko gasped, a hand covering her mouth. "C-Chie, don't be so ridiculous!" Yukiko's pepper red blush betrayed her denial, however. "Why are you asking, anyway? Wait, do _you_ like him? Is that what this is about?!" Yukiko enthused, obviously trying to avoid the question.

"No! And don't change the subject!" Chie said, also blushing and mentally pushing away her late night fantasies of her and Yu which she would never act on, not knowing what she knows now. Chie was a good girl…

"You really don't have a thing for him?" Chie asked one last time, her tone dead serious.

"No, Chie, where is this coming from?" Yukiko hastened to say.

"I gave you a chance to tell me yourself, Yukiko…"

xxx

Yu and Rise were sat on his couch in the living room. She loved this couch. Memories of lazy Sunday afternoons wrapped up in a blanket with him sprang to mind. She pushed those thoughts aside, however.

"Well, this is a surprise" Yu smiled "I wasn't expecting you"

"I wasn't expecting to come" Rise said, still avoiding looking into his eyes. She knew if she did that, it would be all over. She'd cry and leap into his arms and forgive him. That wasn't happening… At least not until the truth was out.

"What do you mean?" Yu asked before taking hold of Rise's shoulder. She inhaled sharply at his touch. "Is everything OK?"

"No" Rise said immediately after he asked the question.

"What's wrong then? I might be able to help"

"Do you like Yukiko?" Rise asked, again very quickly.

"Yeah, she's cool I guess…" Yu paused for just a second too long before adding "Why do you ask?"

"After our fight, you left your keys in your jacket at my place. Where did you go to sleep?"

"The Amagi Inn" Yu said.

As soon as those words left his mouth, Rise's stomach tied into a knot and any hope she had left turned to despair. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run away and let the earth swallow her up. She wanted to slap him in the face… In his perfect face…

"Why?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why the Amagi Inn? Yosuke's place is closer, so is Kanji's, so why the Inn?"

"I dunno, it was the first place that came to mind. Rise, what's going on?"

Rise couldn't take it anymore. His insincerity was killing her. She had to just come out with it.

xxx

"I know what you did on the rooftop!" both Chie and Rise said to their suspects. The former said it calmly. The latter screeched it at the top of her lungs.

xxx

Yukiko's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates once Chie said the word "Rooftop".

"How much did you see?" Yukiko said, her tone completely different than normal. It was dark and angry… Chie was a little scared, but she had to press on.

"I saw almost all of it. You kissed him, even though you knew he had a girlfriend?" Chie asked.

"You don't understand, Chie, you've never been in love with someone, and you never will." Yukiko's voice was getting angrier every second. Her words hurt Chie, but only a little. She knew deep down that Yukiko didn't mean that.

"You _have_ to see that what you did was wrong, Yukiko. You see that, right?"

"How am I any different from you?" Yukiko said, now on her feet.

"Wha-?" Chie spluttered, surprised at Yukiko's accusation.

"Don't think I haven't noticed, Chie. The way you flirt with him, the times you stare at his ass when he's running. Not to mention your little _'midnight fantasies_'"

"I told you about that in confidence! And it's completely different!" Chie's voice was raised now, the mentions of one of her innermost secrets had struck a nerve.

"How?" Yukiko's face was red from shouting.

"I'm not sticking my tongue down his throat when he has a girlfriend!"

"That's not all we did!"

xxx

Speaking of that girlfriend, she was now sobbing uncontrollably.

"W-What?!" Yu asked, confused.

"The rooftop! With Yukiko!" Was all Rise could manage through her tears. This was the second time today she'd got like this.

When Yu heard that his girlfriend knew about his tryst with the heiress, he was lost for words… He opened his mouth to say something, anything, but no sound came out. Rise managed to cut him off regardless.

"You said you loved me! Was that all a lie?" She bawled, her speech returning but the tears still going nowhere.

"No, of course not!" Yu said, trying to fix the situation.

"Then why did you kiss her!?"

"There were circumstances…"

"What were those?! That we had a fight so you go and get kissy with another woman?"

"Rise, let me explain" Yu said, he knew he could talk his way out of this. Rise wasn't going to let him.

"What is there to explain? You kissed another girl! I _hoped_ with all my heart that Chie was lying about this, but she wasn't, was she? I wanted to forgive you but I _can't_!"

"Rise…"

"What else did you do with her? Did you do anything else, tell me, Yu!" her finger was pointed straight at him.

"I…"

"Did you sleep with her?" Rise asked, finally looking Yu in the face.

Yu said nothing. He simply nodded his head.

Rise's tears got even worse, if that were possible.

xxx

"Whaddya mean, you slept with him!?" Chie asked, shocked.

"I slept with him, what else could it mean!?" Yukiko answered, still aggressively. "He begged me for it too. He was all 'I'm not a bad person, am I, Yukiko? Show me I'm not a bad person'"

"Yukiko…" Chie was shocked, more than anything. She had no idea Yukiko could do something like that… "You…"

"We _both_ knew it was wrong, Chie. You should be yelling at him as well as me!"

"Rise is at his house right now, probably crying her eyes out because of what _you_ did!"

"So?"

"So he's getting what he deserves, I'm just making sure the truth comes out!"

"The _truth_? The truth is that he and Rise are over, done, finished. He probably doesn't even care!"

Nothing could be further from the truth…

xxx

Yu Narukami never cried. Ever. Well, once, when he thought Nanako was dead. Today was the second time in his whole life that he let sadness overwhelm him as tears started to fall down his face.

"Why are you crying?" Rise asked, her voice changed from one of rage to concern. Her Senpai was crying… That never happens.

"I'm sorry…" He started. "I'm _so_ sorry, Rise. I should have just said that at the start, but I didn't because I'm too proud to admit I was wrong. But I was…"

"Senpai…"

"Deep down, I wanted someone to tell me I wasn't a bad person for starting that fight or for making you cry… That's why I went to Yukiko. I knew she'd tell me what I wanted to hear. But I should have just stepped up to it and apologized… I'm so weak…" His tears didn't get to Rise's level of severity, but it was still a shock to see him admit all of this. "I know I hurt you… but damn it, I still love you, Rise."

That was all she needed.

She pulled Yu into a tight hug, her arms around his neck as she sobbed into it. They simply sat there, holding eachother for a while. It was almost as if they'd never been apart… If one were discount the tears.

"I still love you too…" she managed to say through her tears. "But… I don't know if I can trust you…"

Yu moved away from the embrace to look Rise in the eyes. She loved his eyes… Always had.

"Talk to Yukiko, we both will"

"I don't even know if I can look at her" she said.

"We have to. Not just for us but for her" His tears had stopped by this point, extreme emotion just wasn't him. "We can't have friendships fall apart just because we made some dumb mistakes"

"Yeah…" Rise said, her breath still catching. "I don't want to lose you, Senpai…" She let her head fall into his chest again.

"Me either, kōhai…" He wrapped his arms around her once again, and the two sat in another long embrace…

xxx

"Yukiko, what are you saying?! This isn't you!" Chie yelled at her best friend. She'd said some horrible things… Who was this girl? Was this what a heartbroken Yukiko looked like?

"You don't know what happened or how I feel about him, Chie. You _still_ don't" Yukiko spat.

At that moment, Chie's phone vibrated. It was Rise.

"I need to take this" Chie said, still frustrated at her friend.

"Fine"

Chie pressed the green button on her phone and within seconds, she heard Rise's voice. She wasn't sad or particularly happy. If anything, it reminded her of when they first met, when she was all gloomy…

"Hey, Chie… me and Yu have sorted stuff out, I think?" There was an inflection, she still wasn't sure. "How about you and Yukiko-senpai?"

"No, not really…" Chie admitted. "Sorry, Rise"

"Rise?!" Yukiko asked, angrily. "Why is she calling?"

"Is that Yukiko-senpai's voice?" Rise asked, apparently hearing Yukiko's rage.

"Yeah" Chie sighed.

"Can you tell her to meet me at Yu's place? I think we need to talk…"

"Sure... You OK?"

"Yeah… Well, kinda. Better than I was" Rise chuckled weakly. "I'll talk to you later, OK?"

"Alright" With that, she hung up the phone and relayed Rise's message to the heiress who was seething with rage. Yukiko changed into more casual clothes and left for her lover's house, with Chie in tow, following like a lost dog.

This night was far from over.


	5. Chapter 5 - Resolutions

Persona 4- The Priestess' Impasse

Chapter 5 - Resolutions

A/N: So with some help from "Boobie Support" AKA: The artist formerly known as "Screaming With Your Mouth Shut" (They're a great author by the way, if you're a fan of this but want something much darker, you should go check them out) I think I've figured out a way to end this that will piss off the least amount of people XD Both girls have pretty large fanbases (Well, Yukiko does at any rate :P) so I think I've managed to resolve both of their arcs in a way that is satisfying. This is actually the first time I've properly written out a plan for any one of these things XD I don't want to deviate too much :P I hope this closes out your year with despair XD I didn't want to write this until after Xmas… I can't be dealing with the angst around the holidays XD The ending was really hard for me to actually write out. I did like 4 drafts and that was the least terrible XD I hope you enjoy it and let me know what you want to see next! Regardless, Enjoy :)

xxx

Yukiko stormed past Yu as soon as he opened the door to let her in, not saying a word. Chie simply followed like a lost child and muttered an apology to their leader.

The Priestess was fuming with anger. She thought Yu and Rise were done. She thought that what she did with him last night was a declaration that he'd finished things with the Idol. It can't have been his fault, it must have been her. She must have flirted and giggled and sweet-talked him back into a relationship. That was _so_ like her.

Yukiko strode over to Rise. The latter's eyes were red from all the tears that she'd shed today. She just wanted this enmity to end. After all, they were a part of a team, so they _needed_ to get along. Yukiko however, had no such intention.

_Thwack!_

The noise of an open palm colliding with a face rang throughout Yu's small home. Rise staggered backwards at the impact while Yukiko stood strong, her eyes burning brighter than the fire she wields.

"Yukiko! What the hell?!" Chie shouted, speaking up for the first time since leaving the inn. Yu tried to move to one the scene but Rise held up her left hand to stop him (Her right holding her freshly slapped face).

"It's OK, Senpai" She said, half smiling. She was trying to stay strong. She was done crying today, that was for damn sure.

"Yukiko-Senpai" Rise started. She didn't raise her voice or shout, she spoke quite calmly. "Why are you so angry?"

"You know why I'm angry!" Yukiko, however, was not quite as serene as her underclassman. Her voice was dripping with venom when she addressed Rise. "Because you stole him from me!" Her finger pointed backwards, vaguely in Yu's direction, but Yukiko's face was locked staring at Rise.

"I liked him well before you turned up. He liked me too, and then you swan in with your 'Oh, Senpai you're soooo cool' and you steal him away from me with your cutesy charm!"

"I didn't mean to do that, Yukiko-Senpai. I didn't know you liked him… You should have said something"

"It's a little late for that now!" Yukiko shouted, tears in her eyes ready to fall at the drop of a hat. "So _that's_ why I'm angry, _Rise-chan_" she spat her friend's name.

"'Cause to anyone else, I'm the one who should be angry" Rise said, again very calmly. "You slept with my boyfriend and everything"

"He liked _me_ first!" Yukiko bellowed.

Rise simply looked past Yukiko towards Yu for confirmation. After he nodded meekly, she turned her attention back to her black haired Senpai.

"Yukiko" Rise said, dropping the honorific this time. "Yu's an idiot" she said with a giggle.

"Wha?" Everyone else in the room said at once. Yukiko thought he was perfect, so someone else saying otherwise shattered that perception somewhat. Yu was surprised that Rise had only just now figured it out. Chie was just enjoying the drama.

"He is" Rise explained. "He's good at making friends, but sometimes he gets it wrong. He misreads people a lot. When I was first hanging out with him he didn't figure out I liked him. I couldn't have dropped bigger hints, but he _still _didn't figure it out" Rise laughed nostalgically. "I'm sure he same thing happened with you. He made friends with you and then you fell for him… Honestly, I can't blame you for that" Yukiko stood there, the wind completely taken from her sails as Rise calmly and maturely explained things… She took this girl for granted. "He just didn't pick up on it, because he's an Idiot"

"That… No, he slept with me, he has to like me!" Yukiko said, shouting again. It was more out of desperation this time. She really liked Yu and didn't want to lose or cheapen what they did. She had to find any reason, any little thing, to disprove Rise.

"That might have been it" Rise said, a peaceful smile on her face. "But we just had a fight. I made him feel like crap. He was probably just looking for comfort"

"But we kissed!"

"Same thing"

"B-But…" Yukiko had run out of ammo. All that bravado when she walked through the door, all that fire she came in with was short-lived. She had nothing else to fall back on, no safety net. "H-He said…"

"I said a lot of things, Yukiko…" Yu said. Finally he found a way to speak his mind in this argument. "What I said on the roof? I said it to make you feel better about me ignoring your feelings. I wasn't confessing or anything like that"

"Then why did you kiss me?!" Yukiko cried.

"I… don't have an answer for that…" Yu admitted. Usually he had words for everything, but for once, the heiress had outfoxed him. "Maybe I do still like you, that's why. But I don't love you, Yukiko. Not like that, anyway."

"But you love her?" Yukiko said, pointing a shaky finger at Rise.

"Yes" Yu replied, with absolutely no hesitation. He did. He genuinely, truly, loved Rise. He wouldn't be in this situation if he didn't. He would have dumped her, got with Yukiko and that would have been it. But instead, he relentlessly tried to not let Rise hate him.

"Why?!" Yukiko cried as she threw her head into her hands. "What does she have that I don't? Is it because she's younger than me? Is it because she's more outgoing? What _is _it? Just tell me what you want me to be and I can be it, Yu-kun… Please!" The tears wouldn't stop. Yukiko had thought she was all cried out for the next year, apparently this wasn't the case.

"Yukiko, don't be so stupid…" Chie had finally said something. Until right now, this all seemed like a fairly private affair between the three, but now Yukiko's self-esteem was being questioned, Chie felt she _had_ to jump in. "You have a lot of amazing qualities! You're really mature, and smart and so, _so_, beautiful. Why else do you think guys always ask you out?"

"I don't _want_ those other guys!" Yukiko screamed. "I want Yu…" She slumped down onto her knees and started bawling into her palms.

"Yukiko" Yu had grabbed her by the shoulders. "Why do you love me?" He asked.

Yukiko opened her mouth to talk, but found no words. He was handsome, yeah, he was cool and masculine and all that stuff but that wasn't why she loved him. Those were parts of him that she happened to like.

"I don't know…" she said, because it was the truth. She couldn't pin down the exact reason why she loved him.

"That's why I love Rise" Yu smiled.

"Because you don't know?"

"Something like that" he chuckled at her turn of phrase. "You're a great girl, Yukiko, and you're gonna make someone really happy one day. But I don't love you like that."

Yukiko moaned a little. She understood, but didn't want to. She knew what he was saying, but was telling her brain to ignore it. She didn't want it to end like this. She simply couldn't go on looking at Yu and Rise together every single day. She wouldn't be able to get over him in one night after all… Her friends surrounded her, waiting for her to say something.

"I… I think I get it…" Yukiko said, finally giving up.

She could never have him.

She had to be a big girl and accept that.

She had to be like Rise and accept that.

"But" Yukiko said to the faces of her beaming friends, celebrating their victory. "I can't look at the two of you together every day… So I think it's best if we stop being friends…"

Yukiko couldn't let _anyone_ have him. If she couldn't, neither could Rise. That was all she could do now.

"What?!" all three of them said.

"I can't get over you just like that" Yukiko snapped her fingers for emphasis. "And watching the two of you together every single day won't help at all"

"I know" Rise said, the quiet look of maturity still not leaving her face.

Yukiko stared daggers at her.

'What are you doing, bitch?' she thought, as if she could mentally pose the question to Rise. 'I know your game, and you can't do this. Let me have this. Don't take _this_ away from me too'

"That's why… I think we need to break up, Senpai…"

Yu's eyes went wide at Rise's statement. After everything that happened about an hour ago?

Yukiko wanted to scream. Not only did Rise take Yu from her, she also took her revenge _and _made it seem like she was a hero because of it. She could _never_ forgive Rise for this. Ever. Not only did she get to be with Yu, she got to be the _only_ person to be with Yu. Unforgivable.

"Senpai, I think it's pretty obvious that a lot of girls really like you…"

Rise looked over to Chie and maintained her gaze for a few seconds longer than was comfortable. Did Rise know about her weird dreams?

"Me and Yukiko obviously do…" Rise continued, finally breaking her eye-contact with Chie. "And I notice that Naoto-kun's been hanging around with you a lot too. Maybe… We should stop seeing each other… Just so this doesn't happen anymore…"

Her serene expression never once faded during all this, despite the tears welling up in her eyes.

"Rise…"

"Don't, Senpai… Don't say a single word because then I'll change my mind" she giggled, or at least tried to. It sounded more like her breath was catching in her throat.

"C'mon Rise… Help me take Yukiko home?" Chie said. She knew she had to get the girls out of there before anything else happened.

"Yeah…" Rise said.

With that, Chie helped up a teary Yukiko and waited for Rise near the door. Before the Idol left however, she turned to look at Her Senpai. He looked pretty shocked, to say the very least.

"You're serious about this?" Yu asked

"Yeah… It's for the best. I don't want our relationship affecting the team… I love you but… we're still both young, like you said…"

It was true. Yu had said that to her. In fact that was the whole reason they had this fight that started all of this.

"Yeah…" Was all Yu could manage.

"I guess you win our fight then, Senpai" Rise chuckled, barely holding back tears.

They wrapped around each other one more time. Yu had to make this embrace count. It was the last one he and Rise would have. He had to remember everything about it. The way she squirmed around in his arms, her scent… Everything. He didn't want to let go. He wanted time to stop.

It didn't.

They separated and Rise walked away with a wave before leaving his heart forever, pulling it apart as she went…

As he watched Rise, Yukiko and Chie leave he thought about the fight that caused this whole series of events. He wished he could turn back time and _not_ go to Yukiko. Hell, maybe he just shouldn't have told her about it all so readily. He regretted everything he said and did that night…

He focused, however, on the one thing he didn't say. He'd give anything to go back and say it now. It could have fixed this last night. All he had to do was say it. But he couldn't.

"_I'll love you forever"_

He'd never be able to tell her that again.


End file.
